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Only weeks before the annual conference of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA<\/a>), critics of the group (and of Muslims in general) were hurling a new accusation toward it \u2013 the awkward appellation of \u201cunindicted co-conspirator\u201d as described in a federal lawsuit against a Texas charity where the organization\u2019s name surfaced. But with an organization that now crosses most of the American Muslim landscape, a connection between ISNA and any Muslim would be near impossible to avoid. Forty-four years since the umbrella group began its conferences in Chicago, the attendance list has swelled to over 40,000 people who collaborate and contribute from nearly every aspect<\/a> of American Muslim life.<\/p>\n ISNA\u2019s Shura council helps to provide guidance on fiqh<\/i> matters, economic advice regarding the lucrative American Muslim demographic<\/a> is provided and sought by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and political collaboration with high-level US government representatives \u2013 unheard of 15 years ago \u2013 is now seen as a priority. Socially, the group promotes projects covering domestic violence, interfaith activities, and education \u2013 though you could be forgiven for viewing the annual conference as little more than one big party (more half the attendees are under 25 years old). Good timing, as there appears to be much to celebrate this year.<\/p>\n Non-Muslim religious and political leaders were in abundance, thanks in part to the efforts of Dr. Ingrid Mattson, the group\u2019s groundbreaking female president. The president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, addressed<\/a> the crowd and received a standing ovation in response. \u201cThere exists in this country among all Americans,\u201d remarked Yoffie, who pledged to continue working with the group, \u201ca huge and profound ignorance about Islam.\u201d The Rev. Jesse Jackson also made a surprise<\/a> appearance (so unscheduled that he was placed as the fourth speaker in an environmentalism panel), where he called on the crowd to \u201cfight for the civil rights of all, not just Muslims\u201d. Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean concurred, insisting that Muslims \u201cstand up and be heard\u201d by running for office. To underscore his point, the first Muslim in Congress, Representative Keith Ellison<\/a> (a Democrat, not surprisingly) stood by his side.<\/p>\n However, it was the governmental outreach \u2013 demonstrated this year by the presence of booths staffed by the Department of Justice, US Agency for International Development, and the Department of Homeland Security \u2013 that was irksome to some (though not all<\/a>) conservative commentators. At least two members of Congress wrote a letter of protest<\/a>, calling government outreach to Muslims at the event \u201cabsolute insanity\u201d and accusing ISNA of \u201cstrong links to extremism.\u201d Yet for the government officials present and scores of other attendees (the event was open to anyone paying the entrance fee), such links were non-existent. Conference topics included the importance of civic engagement in the larger American community, improving Sunni-Shia relations, women\u2019s rights, and the environment.<\/p>\n The conservative protests come at a time when ISNA\u2019s leadership is undergoing a dramatic transition in an attempt to become more dynamic and responsive. Along with the recruitment of more American-born and\/or raised leaders, programs are being tailored to focus on domestic issues rather than the traditional foreign policy concerns. In an attempt to reach out to other metropolitan areas and broaden the organization\u2019s reach, the conference will be moving to Columbus, Ohio next year after being held nearly every year in Chicago. And as for the \u201cunindicted co-conspirator\u201d label, ISNA isn\u2019t taking it lightly, seeking an immediate retraction of the allegations. \u201cISNA is not now and has never been involved in any covert or illegal activity and has never supported any terrorist organizations,\u201d explained<\/a> ISNA Vice President Imam Mohamed Magid. \u201cRather, ISNA is an open and transparent membership organization that strives to be an exemplary and unifying Islamic organization.\u201d These efforts were not lost on some British attendees who found the gathering less dogmatic, sectarian, or political than ones back home.<\/p>\n Conference attendees took the negative attention in stride, preferring to be inspired (perennial favorites Shaykh Hamza Yusuf and Imam Zaid Shakir from the Zaytuna Institute drew standing-room-only crowds) or commercially satiated<\/a> by the convention\u2019s 300+ bazaar vendors. Entertainment ranged from the ISNA-sanctioned show MC\u2019ed by video blogger Baba Ali<\/a> and featuring artists such as Kareem Salama<\/a> and Dawud Wharnsby<\/a>, to off-site (and non-endorsed) events such as the IMAN Community Caf\u00e9<\/a> in southside Chicago with its \u201cturntable dhikr<\/i>\u201d (remembrance of God) and hip-hop Muslim poetry, and the Muslim punk \u201cTaqwapalooza\u201d concert, held in a sweaty downtown residence complete with mosh pit. Hardly the Islamo-fascism some would have you expect.<\/p>\n With a hand in US government policy-making, an embrace of commercialism, and a nod to a still-developing American Muslim culture (and even counter-culture), ISNA is stretching hard to broaden its influence \u2013 and largely succeeding. Unlike many Muslim gatherings around the world, the ISNA conference, as with the group itself, has grown to become a relatively non-judgemental affair. Only time will tell if the organization gets the same from its critics in return.<\/p>\n Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Though the Islamic Society of North America still attracts accusations of extremism from some on the right, the group’s annual conference last weekend showed a determination to make full integration irreversible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":530,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-briefings","category-shahed-amanullah"],"yoast_head":"\n